Humidification module and home appliance including the same

ABSTRACT

A humidification module includes a housing including a lower part to store water and a guide part to guide droplets generated from the stored water to an upper part of the housing, and a fan configured to guide heated air to the housing. The housing includes a first flow path through which a first part of the heated air guided by the fan passes through the lower part of the housing and is guided with the droplets to the upper part of the housing by the guide part, and a second flow path through which a second part of the heated air guided by the fan that vaporizes the droplets guided with the first part of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of the housing by the guide part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. §111(a), of international application No. PCT/KR2023/000375, filed onJan. 9, 2023, which claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119 to KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2022-0002911, filed on Jan. 7, 2022, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a humidification module having an enhancedstructure and a home appliance including the same. More particularly,the disclosure relates to a humidification module having enhancedhumidification performance by heating generated droplets through anultrasonic vibrator and a home appliance including the same.

2. Description of Related Art

A humidification device of the related art may be implemented as aheating type which heats water and discharges generated steam, anultrasonic type which makes water into fine particles through vibrationusing an ultrasonic vibrator and discharges the particles, avaporization type which vaporizes water using a filter, and acombination type obtained by combining the heating type and theultrasonic type.

In a case of the ultrasonic type humidification device, a peripheralportion of the ultrasonic type humidification device is smoothlyhumidified, but there is a problem that, due to the characteristics ofthe type of discharging fine water particles, a humidification degree issignificantly reduced, as it is far away from the ultrasonichumidification device. In addition, there is a problem that a white dustphenomenon occurs since the ultrasonic humidification device directlydischarges the fine water particles.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the combination type may use a method forheating water using a heater (e.g., heating to 50 to 80 degreesCelsius), converting the heated water into fine particle using anultrasonic vibrator, and discharging the fine water particles using afan.

At that time, the combination type humidification device has a problemthat, a large energy is consumed because of the heating of water, and avaporization degree is reduced compared to that of the vaporization typehumidification device, because water is not heated to 100 degreesCelsius.

In addition, the combination type humidification device is substantiallysimilar to the ultrasonic type humidification device, and there is aproblem that, although a peripheral portion of the ultrasonic typehumidification device is smoothly humidified, a humidification degree issignificantly reduced, as it is far away from the humidification device,because the water particles discharged from the combination typehumidification device are large and heavy.

In addition, the combination type humidification device dischargesnon-vaporized water particles, the white dust phenomenon may occur.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided ahumidification module including a housing including a lower part tostore water and a guide part to guide droplets generated from the storedwater in the lower part of the housing to an upper part of the housing;and a fan configured to guide heated air to the housing. The housingincludes a first flow path through which a first part of the heated airguided by the fan passes through the lower part of the housing and isguided with the droplets to the upper part of the housing by the guidepart; and a second flow path through which a second part of the heatedair guided by the fan that vaporizes the droplets guided with the firstpart of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of thehousing by the guide part.

The housing may further include a branch pipe between the guide part andthe fan, and a lower part of the branch pipe may include a first leakagepart through which the first part of the heated air flows to the firstflow path, and an upper part of the branch pipe may include a secondleakage part through which the second part of the heated air flows tothe second flow path.

The first part of the heated air may flow from the branch pipe to thefirst leakage part, pass the lower part of housing, and be guided to theupper part of the housing with droplets by the guide part, and thesecond part of the heated air may flow from the branch pipe to thesecond leakage part and be guided to the upper part of the housing bythe guide part.

An outlet of the branch pipe may be at a location higher than a waterlevel of the water stored in the lower part of the housing.

The first flow path and the second flow path may have a common sectionin which the first part of the heated air and the second part of theheated air are mixed with each other.

The housing may further include a mixing part at a starting point of thecommon section and in which the first part and the second part are mixedwith each other and flow.

The mixing part may include a guide, and the guide of the mixing partmay cause the first part of the heated air and the second part of theheated air to flow in a spiral direction and the droplets to vaporize.

The housing may further include a discharge part configured to dischargethe droplets vaporized by the heated air to outside of thehumidification module.

The humidification module may further include a heater between thebranch pipe and the fan, the heater being configured to heat externalair sucked through the fan and supply the heated air to the branch pipe.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a home applianceincluding a humidification module, the home appliance including a memoryto store at least one instruction; and a processor configured to becommunicatively coupled to the memory to control the home appliance, inwhich the humidification module includes a fan configured to suckexternal air, a heater configured to be connected to the fan, heat theexternal air sucked through the fan and supply heated air, and a housingincluding a lower part to store water and a guide part to guide dropletsgenerated from the stored water in the lower part of the housing to anupper part of the housing, and the housing includes a first flow paththrough which a first part of the heated air passes through the lowerpart of the housing and is guided with the droplets to the upper part ofthe housing by the guide part, a second flow path through which a secondpart of the heated air that vaporizes the droplets guided with the firstpart of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of thehousing, and a mixing part in which the first part of the heated air andthe second part of the heated air are mixed with each other and flow.

The home appliance may further include a first water tank to storewater, the humidification module may further include a second water tankto store water introduced from the first water tank, the housing mayfurther include an opening to connect the first water tank and thesecond water tank, and the first water tank and the second water tankmay be connected through a water supply pipe.

The home appliance may further include a water level detection sensorconfigured to detect a water level of the second water tank, and theprocessor may be configured to adjust an amount of the first part of theheated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount ofwater introduced from the first water tank into the second water tankbased on the water level of the second water tank detected through thewater level detection sensor.

The home appliance may further include a user interface, and theprocessor may be configured to, based on a user input to adjust ahumidification amount of the home appliance being obtained through theuser interface, adjust an amount of the first part of the heated airmoving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of waterintroduced from the first water tank to the second water tank based onthe user input.

The home appliance may further include a user interface, and theprocessor may be configured to obtain a user input to adjust ahumidification amount of the home appliance through the user interface,and adjust an amount of the external air sucked through the fan based onthe user input.

The home appliance may include a user interface, and a humidity sensorto detect an external humidity of the home appliance, and the processoris configured to adjust an amount of the first part of the heated airmoving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of waterintroduced from the first water tank to the second water tank bycomparing a humidity setting value input through the user interface andthe external humidity detected through the humidity sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a humidification method ofthe related art.

FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a humidification methodaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a homeappliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views illustrating a humidificationmodule according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of thehumidification module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating a guide part of the homeappliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a plan view illustrating a connection pipe of thehumidification module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view illustrating a mixing part of thehumidification module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7B is a bottom view illustrating the mixing part of thehumidification module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating a method for adjusting ahumidification amount of the home appliance according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the disclosure will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should beunderstood that this is not to limit the scope of the specificembodiments and all modifications, equivalents, and/or alternativesincluded in the disclosed spirit and technical scope are included. Inrelation to explanation of the drawings, similar reference numerals maybe used for similar elements. In addition, the accompanying drawings maynot be illustrated with actual scales but may be illustrated withenlarged dimensions of some elements, for the understanding of thedisclosure.

The expressions “first,” “second” and the like used in the disclosuremay denote various elements, regardless of order and/or importance, andmay be used to distinguish one element from another, and does not limitthe elements. For example, a first user device and a second user devicemay represent user devices different from each other, regardless oforder and/or importance.

For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element andthe second element may also be similarly referred to as the firstelement, while not departing from the scope of a right of thedisclosure. The terms used in the description are used to describe anembodiment, but may not intend to limit the scope of other embodiments.In the disclosure, unless otherwise defined specifically, a singularexpression may encompass a plural expression. The terms used hereinincluding technical or scientific terms may refer to the same termsgenerally understood by those skilled in the art in the technical fieldof the disclosure. The terms defined in normal dictionaries among theterms used in the disclosure may be interpreted as the same or similarmeanings in the related technologies and are not interpreted as ideal orexcessively formal meanings. In some cases, the terms defined in thedisclosure may not be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of thedisclosure.

In order to solve the above problems in the related art and otherproblems, the disclosure provides a humidification module having anenhanced structure to prevent a white dust phenomenon by humidifying aportion far away from a home appliance, and a home appliance includingthe same.

Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, a modification modulewhich, by using a humidification module having an enhanced structure anda home appliance including the same, solves problems of home appliancesof the related art by increasing a vaporization rate by bringing theheated air into contact with water particles micronized through anultrasonic vibrator and discharging the vaporized humidification air,and a home appliance including the same are provided.

In addition, through implementation of the simplified structure of thehome appliance using one fan, a humidification module makes the cleaningof the home appliance easy and reduces the manufacturing cost of thehome appliance, and a home appliance including the same are provided.

Hereinafter, a humidification module according to an embodiment of thedisclosure will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

As described above, the combination type home appliance of the relatedart illustrated in FIG. 1 has a problem that a large energy is consumedsince the home appliance heats water, and the home appliance dischargesnon-vaporized droplets, because the water is not heated to 100 degreesCelsius, and the discharged droplets are large and heavy and the homeappliance of the related art has a short humidification distance, whichcauses a white dust phenomenon.

In order to solve the above problems, instead of the method for heatingthe water directly, a new humidification method for heating dropletsgenerated by an ultrasonic vibrator to increase a vaporization rate isprovided.

In addition, a structure that is easy for cleaning is important tomaintenance of the humidification module due to its characteristics.Accordingly, as the structure of the humidification module issimplified, the cleaning may be easily performed, and the productioncost for producing the humidification module may be reduced.

Therefore, in order to simplify the structure of the humidificationmodule, the new humidification method described above may be implementedusing one fan, and the method will be described in detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings hereinafter.

FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a humidification methodaccording to an embodiment.

A fan may suck external air of a humidification module into the insideof the humidification module.

In addition, the air introduced into the humidification module may beheated through a heater.

Some of the air heated through the heater may form an ascending aircurrent (first air current) for raising droplets generated by aultrasonic vibrator, and some of the other air heated through the heatermay form an air current (second air current) for supplying dryhigh-temperature air for heating or vaporizing droplets 232 b (forexample, FIG. 5 ).

After that, the first air current and the second air current are mixedthereby heating droplets contained in the first air current andvaporizing a larger amount of droplets.

In addition, according to the vaporization of the droplets, thehumidified air (humidification air) may be discharged through adischarge part.

In other words, the new humidification method described above may beimplemented using one fan by forming the first air current and thesecond air current having different movement path using the air heatedthrough the heater and mixing the first air current and the second aircurrent.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a homeappliance 100 including a humidification module according to anembodiment. The home appliance 100 may include a memory 110, acommunication interface 120, a user interface 130, a display 140, afirst water tank 150, a sensor 160, a processor 170, and ahumidification module 200. In this case, the humidification module 200may include a suction part 210 including a fan 211, a heater 220, and ahousing 230. In addition, the housing 230 may include a branch pipe 231,a second water tank 232, an ultrasonic vibrator 233, a guide part 234, amixing part 235, a vaporization part 236, and a discharge part 237.

Some constituent elements of the home appliance 100 and thehumidification module 200 may be omitted and other constituent elementsmay be further included. In addition, some constituent elements of thehome appliance 100 may be included in the humidification module 200, andin the same manner, some constituent elements of the humidificationmodule 200 may be included in the home appliance 100.

Further, the home appliance 100 including the humidification module 200may be implemented as a humidifier, but this is merely an embodiment,and the home appliance may be implemented as various electronicapparatus having a humidification function such as an air purifier, anair conditioner, a fan, and the like.

The memory 110 may store at least one instruction regarding the homeappliance 100 or the humidification module 200. The memory 110 may storean operating system (O/S) for driving the home appliance 100 or thehumidification module 200. In addition, the memory 110 may store varioussoftware programs or applications for operating the home appliance 100or the humidification module 200 according to various embodiments of thedisclosure. In addition, the memory 110 may include a semiconductormemory such as a flash memory or the like and a magnetic storage mediumsuch as a hard disk drive or the like.

Specifically, the memory 110 may store various software modules foroperating the home appliance 100 or the humidification module 200according to various embodiments of the disclosure, and the processor170 may control an operation of the home appliance 100 by executingvarious software modules stored in the memory 110.

In other words, the memory 110 may be accessed by the processor 170 andreading, recording, editing, deleting, or updating of the data by theprocessor 170 may be executed.

Meanwhile, a term, the memory 110 in the disclosure, may include thememory 110, a ROM (not illustrated) and a RAM (not illustrated) in theprocessor 170, or a memory card (not illustrated) (e.g., micro SD cardor memory stick) mounted on the home appliance 100.

The communication interface 120 may include circuitry and maycommunicate with an external device and a server. The communicationinterface 120 may transmit and receive data by communicating with theexternal device or the server based on the wired or wirelesscommunication method. In this case, the external device may refer to auser terminal device (not illustrated), herein, the user terminal devicemay be implemented as various electronic devices capable of performingcommunication with the humidification module 200 such as a smartphone, atablet, a wearable device, a TV, a home appliance, or a personalcomputer. In addition, the communication interface 120 may transmit andreceive data or control commands by communicating with the user terminaldevice. In this case, the control command may be a control command foradjusting the humidification amount of the home appliance 100 or thehumidification module 200.

In addition, the communication interface 120 may include a Wi-Fi module(not illustrated), a Bluetooth module (not illustrated), an infrared(IR) module, a local area network (LAN) module, an Ethernet module, orthe like. Herein, each communication module may be implemented in a formof at least one hardware chip. In addition to the communication methoddescribed above, the wireless communication module may include at leastone communication chip for performing the communication according tovarious wireless communication standards such as zigbee, UniversalSerial Bus (USB), Mobile Industry Processor Interface Camera SerialInterface (MIPI CSI), 3rd Generation (3G), 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 4thGeneration (4G), 5th Generation (5G), and the like. However, this ismerely an embodiment, and the communication interface 120 may use atleast one communication module among various communication modules.

The user interface 130 is a constituent element for receiving an inputof a user command for controlling the home appliance 100 or thehumidification module 200. The user interface may be implemented as adevice such as a button, a touch pad, a mouse, and a keyboard, and mayalso be implemented as a touch screen capable of performing the displayfunction and the manipulation input function. Herein, the button may bevarious types of buttons such as a mechanical button, a touch pad, or awheel formed in any region of a front portion, a side portion, or a rearportion of the appearance of the main body of the home appliance 100.The home appliance 100 may obtain various user inputs through the userinterface 130. In this case, the user input may be an input foradjusting the humidification amount or the humidification degree of thehome appliance 100 or the humidification module 200.

The display 140 may be implemented as a display including a spontaneouslight emitting element or a display including a non-spontaneous lightemitting element and a backlight. For example, the display may beimplemented as various types of display such as liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light emitting diodes (OLED) display, light emittingdiodes (LED), micro LED, mini LED, plasma display panel (PDP), quantumdot (QD) display, quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLED), and thelike. The display 140 may also include a driving circuit or a backlightunit which may be implemented in a form of a-si TFT, a low temperaturepoly silicon (LTPS) TFT, or an organic TFT (OTFT).

The display 140 may display various state information of the homeappliance 100 or the humidification module 200. In addition, the display140 may display sensing information obtained through the sensor 160.

Further, the display 140 may be implemented as a touch display capableof receiving a user input, and accordingly, a user may input a controlcommand through the display 140 using fingers or an electronic pen.

The first water tank 150 may store water to be supplied to the secondwater tank 232 to humidify the external air. The water stored in thefirst water tank 150 may be supplied to the second water tank 232provided in the humidification module 200 through a valve or a pump. Inthis case, the water supplied to the second water tank 232 may becomedroplets which are fine water particles by the ultrasonic vibrator 233.

The sensor 160 may include a sensor (e.g., temperature sensor, humiditysensor) for sensing state information (e.g., water level of the watertank) or environment information (e.g., temperature or relativehumidity) of the inside and outside of the home appliance 100 or thehumidification device 200.

Specifically, the sensor 160 may include a humidity sensor 161 formeasuring relative humidity of the outside of the home appliance 100 orthe humidity device 200.

In addition, the sensor 160 may include a water level sensor 162 formeasuring the water level of water stored in the first water tank 150 orthe second water tank 232. In this case, the water level sensor 162 maybe located inside the second water tank 232 and detect a water level ofthe second water tank 232, but this is merely an embodiment, the waterlevel sensor may be located in the first water tank 150 and detect thewater level of the first water tank 150.

The processor 170 may control general operations and functions of thehome appliance 100 or the humidification module 200. Specifically, theprocessor 170 may be connected to constituent elements of the homeappliance 100 including the memory 110 or the humidification module 200and may generally control the operation of the home appliance 100 or thehumidification module 200 by executing at least one instruction ormodule stored in the memory 110 described above.

The processor 170 may be implemented by various methods. For example,the processor 170 may be implemented as at least one of an applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), an embedded processor, amicroprocessor, a hardware control logic, a hardware finite statemachine (FSM), and a digital signal processor (DSP). Meanwhile, a term,the processor 170 may be used as the meaning including a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), a mainprocessing unit (MPU), and the like.

In addition, the configuration of the humidification module 200 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5 , hereinafter.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the humidification module 200according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a perspective viewillustrating the humidification module 200 according to an embodiment.

In addition, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating thehumidification module 200 taken along A-A′ line according to anembodiment.

The fan 211 included in the suction part 210 may suck the external airof the humidification module 200 (or external air of the home appliance100) into the humidification module 200. In addition, the fan 211 mayform a flow of the air (air current) so that the air sucked into thehumidification module 200 or the heated air that is heated inside of thehumidification module 200 passes through the branch pipe 231 through atleast one flow path and moves to the discharge part 237, and the airhumidified in the internal portion of the humidification module 200 maybe discharged through the discharge part 237.

The heater 220 may be connected to the suction part 210. Specifically,the heater 220 and the suction part 210 may be connected to each otherthrough a connection pipe 212, and in this case, the connection pipe 212may include at least one opening, and at least one opening included inthe connection pipe 212 may be connected to openings included in thesuction part 210 and the heater 220. In addition, the external airsucked through the fan 211 may move to the heater 220 through thesuction part 210 and the connection pipe 212.

In addition, the heater 220 may heat the external air sucked through thefan 211 and supply the heated air. Further, the heater 220 may belocated between the fan 211 and the branch pipe 231. Also, the heatedair heated through the fan 211 may be introduced into the housing 230(or to the branch pipe 231) by the fan 211.

In this case, the heater 220 may have an opening formed so that the airintroduced through the connection pipe 212 is introduced to the housing230, and may heat the air passing through the opening included in theheater 220 to be introduced to the housing 230.

In addition, the housing 230 may include the guide part 234 and storewater on a lower part thereof. In this case, the housing 230 may includethe branch pipe 231 on one side of the guide part 234. In other words,the housing 230 may form the branch pipe 231 on the one side, andinclude the second water tank 232 for storing the water introduced fromthe outside in a lower part 230 a of the housing 230. In this case, thehousing 230 may include a first flow path S1 and a second flow path S2which are flow paths through which the external air introduced throughthe fan 211 or the heated air heated through the heater 220 pass.

Specifically, the housing 230 may include a first flow path S1 formed sothat a first part of the heated air passes through a lower part of thehousing 230 (or lower part of the branch pipe 231) and is guided to anupper part 230 b of the housing 230 by the guide part 234 whilecontaining the droplets 232 b generated on the lower part 230 a of thehousing 230, and a second flow path S2 formed so that a second part ofthe heated air for vaporizing the droplets contained in the first partof the heated air passes through the upper part of the housing 230 (orupper part of the branch pipe 231) and is guided to the upper part 230 bof the housing 230 by the guide part 234. In this case, the first flowpath S1 and the second flow path S2 may have a common section in whichthe first part and the second part of the heated air are mixed (orflow).

In other words, the first part of the air heated through the heater 220may move through the first flow path S1 and become the first air currentthat raises the droplets 232 b generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 233in the second water tank 232 to the upper part.

In this case, the first flow path S1 may be configured with the suctionpart 210-the connection pipe 212-the heater 220-the branch pipe 231-afirst leakage part 231 a-the second water tank 232-the guide part234-mixing part 235-the vaporization part 236-the discharge part 237. Inthis case, some of constituent elements configuring the first flow pathS1 may be omitted, other constituent elements may be further included,or the order of some constituent elements may be changed.

In addition, the second part of the air heated through the heater 220may move through the second flow path S2 and become the second aircurrent that is mixed with the first air current comprising the raiseddroplets 232 b through the first flow path S1.

In this case, the second flow path S2 may be configured in the order ofthe suction part 210-the connection pipe 212-the heater 220-the branchpipe 231-a second leakage part 231 b-the mixing part 235-thevaporization part 236-the discharge part 237. In this case, some ofconstituent elements configuring the second flow path S2 may be omitted,other constituent elements may be further included, or the order of someconstituent elements may be changed.

In addition, the branch pipe 231 may be located between the guide part234 and the suction part 210, the fan 211, the connection pipe 212, orthe heater 220. Specifically, the air heated through the heater 220 maybe introduced to the branch pipe 231. In this case, the upper part ofthe branch pipe 231 may include the first leakage part 231 a throughwhich the first part of the heated air leaks to the first flow path S1,and the second leakage part 231 b through which the second part of theheated air leaks to the second flow path S2.

In other words, the branch pipe 231 may include first leakage part 231 awhich guides the heated air to the first flow path S1 so that the firstpart of the heated external air (heated air) moves along the first flowpath S1, and the second leakage part 231 b which guides the heated airto the second flow path S2 so that the second part of the heatedexternal air (heated air) moves along the second flow path S2.

In this case, the first leakage part 231 a may be located on the upperpart of the branch pipe 231 and the second leakage part 231 b may belocated on the lower part of the branch pipe 231. Accordingly, the firstpart of the heated air may leak from the branch pipe 231 to the firstleakage part 231 a, pass the lower part of housing 230, and be guided tothe upper part of the housing 230 while containing the dropletsgenerated in the second water tank 232 by the guide part 234, and thesecond part of the heated air may leak from the branch pipe 231 to thesecond leakage part 231 b and be guided to the upper part of the housing230 by the guide part 234.

In addition, the first leakage part 231 a and the second leakage part231 b may be implemented as openings, but there is no limitationthereto, and the amount of air or air current passing through the firstleakage part 231 a and the second leakage part 231 b may be adjustedthrough a valve controlled through the processor 170.

In other words, the branch pipe 231 may further include a first valvefor adjusting the amount of the heated air which leaks to the first flowpath S1 or a second valve for adjusting the amount of the heated airwhich leaks to the second flow path S2, and in this case, the processor170 may adjust the amount of the heated air which leaks to the firstflow path S1 or the second flow path S2 by controlling the first valveor the second valve.

Meanwhile, an outlet of the branch pipe 231 may be disposed at alocation higher than a water level of the water stored in the lower part230 a of the housing 230 or the lower part of the guide part 234.Specifically, the first leakage part 231 a or the second leakage part231 b of the branch pipe 231 may be disposed on a location higher than amaximum water level of the water stored in the second water tank 232 orthe lower part of the guide part 234.

In addition, the first part of the heated air which passed through thefirst leakage part 231 a may move along the first flow path S1 andbecome the ascending air current (first air current) for raising thedroplets 232 b generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 233 in the secondwater tank 232.

Further, the second part of the heated air which passed through thesecond leakage part 231 b may move along the second flow path S2 andbecome the second air current that is mixed with the first air currentand heats or vaporizes the droplets 232 b (or first air current)contained in the first air current.

Specifically, the first air current which is the air passed through thefirst leakage part 231 a may fall down along an outer part of a wall ofthe guide part 234 to move to the second water tank 232. In addition,the first air current may raise the droplets 232 b generated by theultrasonic vibrator 233 using water 232 a stored in the second watertank 232 along an inner part of the wall.

The second water tank 232 may be a water tank storing the water 232 afor the ultrasonic vibrator 233 to generate the droplets 232 b. In thiscase, the first water tank 150 and the second water tank 232 may beconnected through a separate connection part (not illustrated), and inthe connection part for connecting the first water tank 150 and thesecond water tank 232 to each other, a pump (not illustrated), a watersupply pipe (not illustrated), or a valve (not illustrated) forexchanging the water between the first water tank 150 and the secondwater tank 232 may be provided. Specifically, on one side of the housing230 (or second water tank 232), an opening for connecting the firstwater tank 150 and the second water tank 232 for receiving water fromthe first water tank 150 may be formed. In addition, the first watertank 150 and the second water tank 232 may be connected to each otherthrough the water supply pipe, the valve, or the pump through theopening.

The guide part 234 may guide the first part of the heated air introducedto the branch pipe 231 to the first flow path S1 and guide the secondpart of the heated air to the second flow path S2. In other words, theheated air introduced to the branch pipe 231 may collide with one sideof the guide part 234 and may be guided to the first flow path S1 andthe second flow path S2 through the first leakage part 231 a and thesecond leakage part 231 b. In other words, the first part of the heatedair may leak from the branch pipe 231 to the first leakage part 231 a bythe guide part 234, and the second part of the heated air may leak fromthe branch pipe 231 to the second leakage part 231 b by the guide part234.

In addition, the guide part 234 may refer to a pipe for connecting thesecond water tank 232 and the mixing part 235 (or vaporization part236), a pipe for guiding the droplets 232 b generated in the secondwater tank 232 to the upper part 230 b of the housing 230, the mixingpart 235, or the vaporization part 236, or a pipe for the first aircurrent to guide the droplets 232 b to the upper part 230 b of thehousing 230. In other words, the guide part 234 may guide the second aircurrent containing the droplets 232 b generated in the second water tank232 to the upper part 230 b of the housing 230, and the first aircurrent and the second air current may be separated through the wall ofthe guide part 234. In this case, the ceiling of the upper part of theguide part 234 may be blocked by the cover.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first air currentcontaining the droplets 232 b may raise along an inner portion of a wall234-1 of the guide part 234 and reach the upper part of the guide part234. In this case, the ceiling of the upper part of the guide part 234may be blocked or covered by a cover 234-3, and a part of the side wallmay be opened. Accordingly, the upper part of the guide part 234 mayprevent the non-vaporized droplets 232 b or the first air current frombeing directly discharged to the discharge part 237 and introduce thefirst air current that passed through the guide part 234 to the mixingpart 235.

In this case, the first air current may be introduced to the mixing part235 through at least one opening 234-2 formed on an upper side surfaceof the guide part 234. In this case, on the upper part of the guide part234, a plurality of guides or walls may be arranged in a spiral orradial manner, and the first air current passed through the guide part234 may be introduced to the mixing part 235 through the at least oneopening 234-2 formed on the plurality of walls.

Meanwhile, the second air current may pass through the second leakagepart 231 b and raise along an external wall of the guide part 234 to beintroduced to the mixing part 235.

In other words, the first flow path S1 and the second flow path S2 mayhave a common section in which the first part of the heated air (firstair current) and the second part of the heated air (second air current)are mixed with each other. In this case, the common section may refer toa section in which the first air current passes through the guide part234 from the first flow path S1 and passes through the mixing part 235or the vaporization part 236, and a section in which the second aircurrent passes through the second leakage part 231 b from the secondflow path S2 and passes through the mixing part 235 or the vaporizationpart 236. In other words, the common section of the first flow path S1and the second flow path S2 may be a section where the mixing part 235,the vaporization part 236, or the discharge part 237 commonly includedin the first flow path S1 and the second flow path S2 are located. Inthis case, the mixing part 235 may be disposed at a starting point ofthe common section, and the first air current and the second air currentmay turn around (or rotate) in a spiral direction in the mixing part235, and in this case, the droplets contained in the first air currentmay be heated or vaporized.

Specifically, the mixing part 235 may refer to a flow path guide member,an air current mixer, or an air mixer containing a guide for flowing,mixing, rotating, or turning at least one air current. Accordingly, thefirst part of the heated air and the second part of the heated airintroduced to the mixing part 235 may not be discharged directly to thedischarge part 237, and may be remained and mixed in the mixing part 235or the vaporization part 236, and in this case, the second part of theheated air may heat or vaporize the droplets contained in the first partof the heated air. In addition, the mixing part 235 may have a structurein which a plurality of guides 235-1 to 235-9 are arranged on the sidesurface in the spiral shape, and the air or the air current introducedto the mixing part 235 may move (or flow or be mixed) along the guides235-1 to 235-9. Accordingly, the first air current and the second aircurrent may flow, move, be mixed, turn around, or rotate by the guides235-1 to 235-9 of the mixing part 235, and in this case, the first aircurrent and the second air current may be mixed and raise to thedischarge part 237 while rotating in the spiral direction in thevaporization part 236. Meanwhile, it is described that the first aircurrent and the second air current raise to the discharge part 237 whilerotating in the spiral direction by the mixing part 235, but theconfiguration is not limited thereto, and the first air current and thesecond air current may move around the mixing part 235 and vaporizationpart 236 and mixed with each other in various manner by various methods,and accordingly, the second air current may heat or vaporize thedroplets contained in the first air current.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the mixing part 235 mayinclude the plurality of guides 235-1 to 235-9 and, in this case, theplurality of guides 235-1 to 235-9 may be arranged in the spiral manner.In addition, the mixing part 235 may impart a turning force to the firstair current introduced to the mixing part 235 through the guide part 234and the second air current introduced to the mixing part 235 through thesecond leakage part 231 b, and accordingly, the first air current andthe second air current may raise while rotating in the spiral manner. Inother words, the first air current and the second air current having theturning force imparted by the mixing part 235 may be mixed whilerotating in the mixing part 235 and the vaporization part 236 in thespiral manner.

In other words, the mixing part 235 may mix the first air current andthe second air current to form a rotating air current (third aircurrent). In this case, the third air current may be an air current inwhich the first air current and the second air current are mixed, mayrotate in the spiral manner and raise along the inner portion of thewall of the vaporization part 236. In this case, the droplets 232 bcontained in the first humid air current may be mixed with the secondair current at a high temperature and low humidity. Accordingly, thedroplets 232 b contained in the first air current may be heated andvaporized.

Meanwhile, the first air current, the second air current, and the thirdair current may rotate in the spiral manner in the mixing part 235 andthe vaporization part 236, but there is no limitation thereto, and theair currents may rotate in various forms such as in a circular form, anelliptical form, or a cyclone form.

In addition, the structure of the mixing part 235 may be implementedwith the plurality of guides 235-1 to 235-9 arranged in the spiralmanner, and there is no limitation thereto, and the structure of themixing part 235 may be implemented with various structures for rotatingthe introduced air or air current. For example, the mixing part 235 mayinclude the plurality of guides and walls, and in this case, theplurality of guides or walls may be arranged or connected radially basedon a central axis of the mixing part 235.

Meanwhile, in the same manner as the mixing part 235, the upper part ofthe guide part 234 may also include a plurality of guides and walls, andin this case, the plurality of guides or walls may be arranged in thespiral manner or may be arranged or connected radially based on acentral axis of the guide part 234.

In addition, for the mixing part 235, in order to prevent the first aircurrent and the second air current form directly raising to bedischarged to the discharge part 237, the ceiling or the upper part ofthe mixing part 235 may be blocked or covered with a cover 235 a. Whenthe first air current and the second air current raise and aredischarged to the discharge part 237 without being sufficiently mixed,there is a problem that the droplets 232 b contained in the first aircurrent may not be sufficiently vaporized. In order to prevent such aproblem, the mixing part 235 may rotate the first air current and thesecond air current in the spiral direction so that the first air currentand the second air current do not directly raise to the discharge part237, and the first air current and the second air current may raisewhile rotating along the inner portion of the vaporization part 236.Accordingly, the time for mixing the first air current and the secondair current and the time for heating and vaporizing the droplets 232 bcontained in the first air current may increase, thereby exhibiting aneffect of increasing a vaporization rate of the droplets 232 b.

In addition, the third air current mixed in the mixing part 235 may beintroduced to the vaporization part 236. In this case, the vaporizationpart 236 may vaporize the droplets 232 b contained in the first aircurrent by the first air current and the second air current mixed by themixing part 235. Specifically, the third air current in which the firstair current and the second air current are mixed may raise whilerotating in the spiral manner along the inner portion of the wall of thevaporization part 236, and the droplets 232 b may be heated andvaporized while the third air current rises. In addition, thehumidification air from which the droplets 232 b are vaporized may reachthe discharge part 237.

Meanwhile, it is described that the first air current and the second aircurrent are mixed in the mixing part 235 and the droplets contained inthe first air current are vaporized in the vaporization part 236, butthere is no limitation thereto, and the droplets contained in the firstair current may be vaporized in the mixing part 235, and the first aircurrent and the second air current may be mixed in the vaporization part236.

In addition, the third air current may be discharged to the outside ofthe humidification module 200 through a plurality of openings 237-1formed in the discharge part 237. In this case, as the droplets 232 bcontained in the first air current are mixed with the second air currentand vaporized, the third air current discharged through the dischargepart 237 may be humidification air from which the droplets 232 b arevaporized. Accordingly, the humidification air discharged through thedischarge part 237 may humidify a large space while moving to a portionfar from the humidification module 200. In addition, as thehumidification air from which the droplets 232 b are vaporized isdischarged, and accordingly, the white dust phenomenon does not occur.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for adjusting a humidificationamount of the home appliance 100 according to an embodiment.

The processor 170 may adjusts the water level of the water 232 a storedin the second water tank 232 and adjust the humidification amount of thehumidification module 200 by comparing a relative humidity around thehome appliance 100 obtained through the humidity sensor 161 and a sethumidity value.

Specifically, the processor 170 may sense the humidity of the outside ofthe home appliance 100 through the humidity sensor 161 (S810).

The processor 170 may identify whether the relative humidity and the sethumidity value of the home appliance 100 are different (S820). In thiscase, the set humidity value may be a value received through thecommunication interface 120 from the user terminal device or a valueinput through the user interface 130.

When the sensed relative humidity is different from the set humidityvalue (S820—Y), the home appliance 100 may adjust the water level of thewater 232 a stored in the second water tank 232 (S830).

In this case, the humidification amount may vary depending on the waterlevel of the water 232 a stored in the second water tank 232. Asillustrated in FIG. 9 , if the water level of the water 232 a stored inthe second water tank 232 is the same as or higher than the lower partof the guide part 234 and there is no space between the second watertank 232 and the guide part 234, the first air current fall down alongthe wall of the outer portion of the guide part 234 and may not beintroduced to the inside of the guide part 234 through the lower portionof the guide part 234. Accordingly, the ascending air current forraising the droplets 232 b generated in the second water tank 232 maynot be generated. In this case, the humidification amount of thehumidification module 200 may be small or none.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , when the water level of thewater 232 a stored in the second water tank 232 is lower the guideportion 234, the first air current may be introduced to the innerportion of the guide part 234 through the lower portion of the guidepart 234, and the ascending air current for raising the droplets 232 bgenerated in the second water tank 232 may be formed. Further, as themore ascending air current is formed, the humidification amount of thehumidification module 200 may increase.

In other words, the processor 170 may adjust the humidification amountof the humidification module 200 by adjusting the water level of thewater 232 a stored in the second water tank 232. In other words, theprocessor 170 may adjust the amount of the first part of the heated airmoving through the first flow path S1 by adjusting the amount of waterintroduced from the first water tank 150 to the second water tank 232.Accordingly, when the sensed relative humidity is less than the sethumidity value, the processor 170 may increase the humidification amountof the humidification module 200 by decreasing the water level of thewater 232 a stored in the second water tank 232.

In this case, the processor 170 may identify a target water level of thewater 232 a stored in the second water tank 232 differently depending onthe degree for increasing the humidification amount, and decrease thetarget water level of the water 232 a stored in the second water tank232 to an appropriate level in order to increase the humidificationamount. In this case, the water level at the appropriate level may bestored in the memory 110 in advance.

In addition, when the target water level of the water 232 a stored inthe second water tank 232 is identified, the processor 170 may controlthe water level of the water 232 a stored in the second water tank 232by comparing the water level of the water 232 a stored in the secondwater tank 232 identified through the water level detection sensor 162with the target water level.

Specifically, the humidification module 200 may be connected or mountedto the home appliance 100, and in this case, the second water tank 232included in the humidification module 200 may be connected to the firstwater tank 150 included in the home appliance 100 to receive the waterfrom the first water tank 150. In this case, the first water tank 150and the second water tank 232 may be connected to each other through awater supply pipe, a valve, or a pump. In addition, the water stored inthe first water tank 150 may be introduced to the second water tank 232through the water supply pipe, the valve, or the pump.

Meanwhile, the humidification module 200 may receive the water from thefirst water tank 150 included in the home appliance 100, but there is nolimitation thereto, and may also receive water directly through thesecond water tank 232 through a water supply pipe, a water supply pump,a water supply hose, or the like from a separate external water supplydevice.

In addition, the processor 170 may control the water supply pipe, thevalve, or the pump connecting the first water tank 150 and the secondwater tank 232, to introduce the water stored in the first water tank150 to the second water tank 232 and discharge the water 232 a stored inthe second water tank 232 to the first water tank 150.

In addition, when the sensed relative humidity matches with the sethumidity value (S820—N), the home appliance 100 may maintain the waterlevel of the water 232 a stored in the second water tank 232 (S840).

Meanwhile, the processor 170 may adjust the water level of the secondwater tank 232 by comparing the sensing value sensed through thehumidity sensor 161 with the set humidity value, but there is nolimitation thereto. The processor 170 may receive a control command foradjusting a set humidity, a humidification amount, or a humidificationdegree through the communication interface 120 or the user interface130, and adjust the water level of the water 232 a stored in the secondwater tank 232 to control the humidification amount of thehumidification module 200 according to the received control command.

In addition, as described above, the processor 170 may adjust thehumidification amount of the home appliance 100 or the humidificationmodule 200 by adjusting the water level of the second water tank 232,but there is no limitation thereto. The processor 170 may adjust asuction amount of the fan 211 based on a user input obtained through theuser interface 130 or a sensing value sensed through the humidity sensor161. In other words, the processor 170 may decrease the humidificationamount by decreasing the suction amount of the fan 211, and increase thehumidification amount by increasing the suction amount of the fan 211.

In addition, the processor 170 may adjust the amount of the first aircurrent or the second air current by adjusting a valve included in thefirst leakage part 231 a or the second leakage part 231 b. In otherwords, the processor 170 may decrease the humidification amount bydecreasing the amount of the first air current or the second aircurrent, and increase the humidification amount by increasing the amountof the first air current or the second air current.

In addition, the processor 170 may adjust the amount of the droplets 232b generated through the ultrasonic vibrator 250 by controlling theultrasonic vibrator 250. In other words, the processor 170 may decreasethe humidification amount by decreasing the amount of the droplets 232 bgeneration by decreasing a vibration rate of the ultrasonic vibrator250, and increase the humidification amount by increasing the amount ofdroplets 232 b generated by increasing the vibration rate of theultrasonic vibrator 250.

In addition, the processor 170 may adjust the humidification amount bycontrolling the heater 220. In other words, the processor 170 mayincrease the humidification amount by increasing the heating degree ofthe air by controlling the heater 220, and may decrease thehumidification amount by increasing the heating degree of the air bycontrolling the heater 220.

In addition, the processor 170 may detect the water level of the firstwater tank 150 through the water level sensor 162 and adjust thehumidification amount by adjusting the water level of the water storedin the first water tank 150. In other words, the processor 170 mayidentify the target water level of the first water tank 150 according toa user input or the detected external humidity value, and the processor170 may adjust the water level of the first water tank 150 by comparingthe identified target water level of the first water tank 150 and thedetected water level of the first water tank 150. In this case, thefirst water tank 150 may be connected to separate water supply device(not illustrated) or water discharge device (not illustrated) through apump, a valve, a water supply pipe, or the like, and the processor 170may adjust the amount of water stored in the first water tank 150 byreceiving the water from the water supply device by controlling thepump, the valve, the water supply pipe, or the like connected to thewater supply device. Conversely, the processor 150 may adjust the amountof water stored in the first water tank 150 by discharging the waterstored in the first water tank 150 by controlling the pump, the valve,the water supply pipe, or the like connected to the water dischargedevice. In this case, the amount of water supplied to the second watertank 232 may vary depending on the amount of water stored in the firstwater tank 150, and as the amount of water stored in the first watertank 150 is large, the amount of water supplied to the second water tank232 may increase. Accordingly, the processor 170 may increase thehumidification amount by increasing the amount of water stored in thefirst water tank 150, and decrease the humidification amount bydecreasing the amount of water stored in the first water tank 150.

While preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been shown anddescribed, the disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned specificembodiments, and it is apparent that various modifications can be madeby those having ordinary skill in the technical field to which thedisclosure belongs, without departing from the gist of the disclosure asclaimed by the appended claims. Also, it is intended that suchmodifications are not to be interpreted independently from the technicalidea or prospect of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A humidification module comprising: a housing including a lower part to store water and a guide part to guide droplets generated from the stored water in the lower part of the housing to an upper part of the housing; and a fan configured to guide heated air to the housing, wherein the housing comprises: a first flow path through which a first part of the heated air guided by the fan passes through the lower part of the housing and is guided with the droplets to the upper part of the housing by the guide part; and a second flow path through which a second part of the heated air guided by the fan that vaporizes the droplets guided with the first part of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of the housing by the guide part.
 2. The humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a branch pipe between the guide part and the fan, and a lower part of the branch pipe comprises a first leakage part through which the first part of the heated air flows to the first flow path, and an upper part of the branch pipe comprises a second leakage part through which the second part of the heated air flows to the second flow path.
 3. The humidification module according to claim 2, wherein the first part of the heated air flows from the branch pipe to the first leakage part, passes the lower part of housing, and is guided to the upper part of the housing with droplets by the guide part, and wherein the second part of the heated air flows from the branch pipe to the second leakage part and is guided to the upper part of the housing by the guide part.
 4. The humidification module according to claim 2, wherein the first leakage part and the second leakage part of the branch pipe are at a location higher than a water level of the water stored in the lower part of the housing.
 5. The humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path has a common section in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other.
 6. The humidification module according to claim 5, wherein the housing further comprises a mixing part at a starting point of the common section and in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other and flow.
 7. The humidification module according to claim 6, wherein the mixing part comprises a guide, and wherein the guide of the mixing part causes the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air to flow in a spiral direction and the droplets to vaporize.
 8. The humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a discharge part configured to discharge the droplets vaporized by the heated air to outside of the humidification module.
 9. The humidification module according to claim 1, further comprising: a branch pipe; a heater between the branch pipe and the fan, the heater being configured to heat external air sucked through by the fan and supply the heated air to the branch pipe.
 10. A home appliance comprising a humidification module, the home appliance comprising: a memory to store at least one instruction; and a processor configured to be communicatively coupled to the memory to control the home appliance, wherein the humidification module comprises: a fan configured to suck external air; a heater configured to be connected to the fan, heat the external air sucked through the fan and supply heated air; and a housing including a lower part to store water and a guide part to guide droplets generated from the stored water in the lower part of the housing to an upper part of the housing, and wherein the housing comprises: a first flow path through which a first part of the heated air passes through the lower part of the housing and is guided with the droplets to the upper part of the housing by the guide part; a second flow path through which a second part of the heated air that vaporizes the droplets guided with the first part of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of the housing by the guide part; and a mixing part in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other and flow.
 11. The home appliance according to claim 10, wherein the home appliance further comprises a first water tank to store water, the humidification module further comprises a second water tank to store water introduced from the first water tank, the housing further comprises an opening to connect the first water tank and the second water tank, and the first water tank and the second water tank are connected through a water supply pipe.
 12. The home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a water level detection sensor configured to detect a water level of the second water tank, wherein the processor is configured to adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of water introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank based on the water level of the second water tank detected through the water level detection sensor.
 13. The home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a user interface, wherein the processor is configured to, based on a user input to adjust a humidification amount of the home appliance being obtained through the user interface, adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of water introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank based on the user input.
 14. The home appliance according to claim 10, further comprising: a user interface, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain a user input to adjust a humidification amount of the home appliance through the user interface; and adjust an amount of the external air sucked through the fan based on the user input.
 15. The home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a user interface; and a humidity sensor to detect an external humidity of the home appliance, wherein the processor is configured to adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of water introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank by comparing a humidity setting value input through the user interface and the external humidity detected through the humidity sensor. 